A Growing Number of Women Getting Vaccinated in Hong Kong

A growing number of women from Shenzhen are visiting Hong Kong to get vaccinated against cervical cancer since the vaccine is not yet available on the Chinese mainland. In the past ten years the number of women that are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Shenzhen has increased by 15 percent, however the only vaccine that is said to fight the cancer is not yet available in Shenzhen on in any other places in the mainland so these women opted to travel to Hong Kong to get vaccinated.

A Hong Kong insider said that the number of women coming from the Chinese mainland to get vaccinated increased by 10 percent compared to last year. One woman just came back from Hong Kong after getting her second of the required three vaccinations and she will be back in Hong Kong after four months for the final vaccine and complete the treatment. Before traveling she underwent a complete medical health check up in Nanshan to make sure she wasn’t infected with the cancer and to be eligible for the vaccine program.

Two thirds of the vaccines that is being sold in Hong Kong are purchased by women coming from the mainland and there are two types of vaccines sold. One is produced by Glaxo Smith Kline which costs HK$2,700 and the other is produced by Merck which costs HK$ 3,600. Most of the women got vaccinated in private medical clinics which is more expensive but is plexible on making appointments.